1. Capabilities

Commission on the Defence Forces Public Consultation Response Template 1. Capabilities The motto/tagline that appears on many Defence Forces promotional publications says “Defend, Protect, Support”. Current capabilities make it difficult to do much of the three. A policy of Military Neutrality or non-alignment has been used for too long as an excuse to not equip the Defence Forces properly to carry out their primary role, instead of an impetus to spend appropriately to defend our neutral status. For too many years the Defence Forces have suffered from broken promises when it comes to capability. Cancelled orders for Ships, Armoured Vehicles and Aircraft throughout the history of the state. At the same time, the DF has prioritised it’s ATCP and ATCA role and by necessity equipped accordingly. The reverse should be the case. A properly equipped force will be able to carry out primary military roles at home and overseas and have surplus capacity to carry out ATCP and ATCA tasks. For example, Modular field hospital was deployed overseas, due to heavy use was uneconomical to return home at mission end. This was not replaced, and such an item (or several similar) would have been of huge benefit during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. The state has relied on the Defence forces to assist in a wide range of civilian tasks, without investing sufficiently to permit the Defence Forces to carry out these tasks adequately, while still maintaining full capacity at its primary military role. Many of the tasks undertaken or even inappropriate for the defence forces. Equip the defence forces as a contingency, for a worst-case scenario, you may never use the equipment in its intended role, but you will be happy to have it when you need it the most. It is the state’s home insurance. The cheapest option may not always provide the best cover when needed the most. We are currently on basic level protection, with no contents cover, and a huge excess. During the early history of the state, 2 of the 3 arms were given titles to reflect their token nature within the early National Army. This must change. The Naval Service should be called the Navy, and the Air Corps should be called the Air Force, and both arms should be equipped accordingly. Both organisations stopped being Corps of the army in the mid- 1970s, when their respective commanding officers became OF-6 equivalent. All my proposals will require a significant initial expense, but it is only because of years of neglect, and successive reduction in the Defence Vote. We must return to the Primary DF mission, equip accordingly, the secondary roles can be fulfilled once equipped appropriately for the primary. With that in mind, priorities should be (based on WP) concentrating on the first two Defence Forces roles: • Military Defence of state from armed aggression. • Participate in Overseas Peace support/humanitarian aid missions. • Army: Maintain an all arms Light infantry force, with combat support and combat service support, with enough armoured and soft skin vehicles for use at home and overseas. Presently home suffers due to overseas deployment. Not enough assets for all units to deploy if required. o Replace the mobile fire support that the Scorpion and Panhard AML90 used to provide. A huge defensive firepower gap now exists overseas, as we seek to protect civilians from armed factions equipped from large military super-powers. o Enough armoured vehicles for Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery needs. Provide some form of tracked vehicle in this role. Not everywhere has terrain suitable for wheeled vehicles, as we found out in recent UN missions in the African continent. o Provide modern point air defence artillery and mobile radar to enable events such as international summits to be secured from potential attack. 9/11 happened. The DF has not equipped to respond. We cannot presume our allies overseas will have the ability to do it for us there either. Combine this with anti-drone countermeasures. o Incorporate a cyber defence unit within CIS, to focus on protecting our electronic assets and to assist other agencies in combatting cyber-crime and protecting our electronic infrastructure. Much of these skills already exist amongst members of the Reserve Defence force, and recruitment of suitably skilled individuals should be encouraged, both within the Permanent and Reserve Defence Force, to permit rapid expansion at short notice when required. o Encourage use of reservists in logistics and combat support service units. Particular attention to expanding Engineer units, whose heavy plant machinery is priceless during natural disaster, at home or overseas. o The Specialised transport equipment normally required to transport larger tracked military vehicles, such as armoured recovery and heavy low loader, have a multitude of peacetime uses in an emergency. o Increase the use of military bridge laying equipment, such as Bailey, Medium girder and similar modular types. These can provide a lifeline to communities cut off by flood damage, as in Leenane Village, Co. Galway some years ago. o Where possible, all troops should be based in fit-for-purpose buildings, instead of relics from a colonial age, leftover from British Military expansion in Ireland during Victorian times. It is near impossible to operate effectively in a listed building. You cannot be an army and a museum curator at the same time. They should work in modern section rooms, with adequate electrical supply for the needs of a modern army. There should be appropriate accommodation for those who have to live in for training, or for operational reasons. Vehicles should be stored and maintained in modern garages, not former stables. We have had 100 years to modernise. All defence forces facilities should push to become self-sufficient for electrical supply, by use of renewable energy. Security of fuel supply is a vital strategic requirement, in peacetime as well as during times of emergency. o Expand the ARW to promised levels, provide them with appropriate all terrain vehicles and other specialised equipment as required. • Naval Service/Navy: As the state’s primary seagoing agency, the current NS fleet size is insufficient to patrol the area claimed by the state, let alone militarily defend against foreign belligerents operating there. As the primary seagoing state agency, it needs urgent overhaul and an increase to a 12-ship minimum. o The existing 6 OPVs provide a token naval warfare role, have no modern air defence or monitoring capability, cannot operate embarked aircraft. Are inappropriately armed for deployment overseas where they may be targeted by shore- based aggressors, have no means to monitor submarine activity. The ships are excessively armed for their peacetime fishery protection role, and the primary weapons are maintenance heavy. Similar vessels used by other nations carry remotely operated 30mm Autocannon instead. They should be modified accordingly when they are due mid-life refit. You don’t put a cannon on a mini and call it a tank. They are otherwise ideal for their current role at home. o The OPVs should be supported at home by 2 multi-role Inshore Patrol vessels, capable of operating within the sheltered inlets of the West coast, or the major port approaches on the East coast in the Irish sea (currently a border between the EU and a Non-EU state). o The MRV/EPV project to replace the HPV must conclude preferably with 2 vessels of type capable of deploying troops and vehicles overseas, either in peace support or humanitarian aid. As a direct replacement for Ireland’s first Helicopter capable Naval vessel, being helicopter capable is vital on these ships, ideally large enough to accommodate any military helicopter currently in use. Adequate sensors, communications and weaponry to act alone in hostile waters. Sufficient internal capacity in lane metres to carry an embarked force, or just its heavy equipment overseas (instead of using civilian commercial carriers, as is currently the case). o Naval Aviation must resume. Dedicated Naval helicopters capable of operating from suitably equipped ships away from their shore base, flown by Naval Pilots, with Naval aircrew. The NZ model is useful to follow here. The aircraft are “property of” the RNZAF, with a dedicated Naval squadron, manned by Naval personnel. o Undersea cables connecting Ireland and Europe with the American Continent are very exposed to being damaged or interfered with by those with ill intent. The NS should have Diving Support vessels capable of monitoring them, by use of active sonar and ROV, with appropriate means to engage hostile actors if necessary. The decline of the offshore exploration industry provides an opportunity to procure purpose built 2nd hand vessels, which will come with an inbuilt Bollard Pull capability to act as an emergency towing vessel when needed. o The recent upsurge in the use of “narco-subs” has demonstrated how exposed our SW approaches are as a potential smuggling route for Narcotics, Weaponry and Human trafficking. The best solution to monitor such craft is a combination of Sea and Air. Future NS vessels must have embarked UAV or Helicopter capability, as a matter of course. Towed locating sonar of military standard, self-contained in TEU should be added to all OPVs to assist in detection of such craft. o The NZ Navy is a good model for our future fleet needs. They have a similar population, political and environmental profile. In this regard they maintain 2 modern multi role Frigates in the fleet which have deployed on numerous missions overseas to protect the sea lanes of supply. 99% of freight is carried by sea. We sit on the edge of the main route for freight to Europe. We need adequately armed vessels equipped with modern sensors to prevent misuse of our EEZ by foreign military vessels, whose actions put commercial sea traffic at risk.

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